


Changing Seasons

by Madison



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Age Difference, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Hot Chocolate, Lemon, Older Man/Younger Woman, hot single dad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-27
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-07 21:04:24
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,557
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11631879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madison/pseuds/Madison
Summary: It all started with a hot chocolate, a bad break up, and a teenager's first date. No strings attached. It was supposed to be fun, simple and casual... but it never really is, is it?





	1. Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Another story? What is going on. Listen guys, I tried to get tumblr to stop me, but they didn't. So here we are. Thank you to Nikki my boo for the title. I cried about not knowing what to name it. Hm, I've talked about this story a bit on my tumblr. So hm, for some, it's a surprise, for others it isn't.
> 
> I know I have a million stories going on - but I mean, it's keeping me going. I've been pretty good at updating so... I SHALL NOT BE STOPPED. But you can all boycott me at any time, it's fine, I'll live alone in my lala land of KogKag. ALSO YO. October, Kogkag week, on tumblr. Don't miss it. I don't intend on letting life ruin it for me this year. So.
> 
> Okay, I shut up now. This is part very old and part very new. Chapter 2 should be more consistent.
> 
> OKAY OKAY. I shut up now for realz.

 

Long frosted shiny crystals covered tree branches, weighing them down, while snow shimmered down from the dark blue, starry sky. Laughters filled the air as the sounds of skates digging into the ice echoed through the quiet vicinity. A rainbow of colors swirled together while children and adults covered in puffy coats and colorful scarfs spun around and twirled in amusement, filling everyone's ears with the joyful sound of laughter. It was the perfect winter scene, never to be ruined, and  _nothing_ infuriated her more.

Kagome was sitting on a creaking, long, cold wooden bench, her hands tucked near her body in a foolish attempt to conserve some warmth. There was probably nothing she despised more than the season of winter. Her body simply could not tolerate the slightest drop of degree. Even now, though her fingers were comfortably hidden in light blue mittens, they were threatening to turn blue from the freezing weather. Also, it hard to ignore the constant sniffles she had to go through simply to prevent her nose from dripping like a broken faucet. As a matter of fact, the only enjoyable activity during the winter time was to remain wrapped in a blanket in front of a warm fire.

Since she despised the cold so much, there could only be one question: what in the world was she doing at an outside rink in the middle of nowhere?

To put it simply, she was dragged and forced while her kicks and screams were ignored.

Miroku and Sango loved ice-skating, probably because they were so good at it unlike her who was not gifted with balance and grace. Work forced her away from her friends which was how they managed to guilt her into coming to this awful place. She did try to tell them there was no way in hell she was going to skate but… they would not hear it. They even pulled out the breakup card. They kept rambling on about how worried they were, and how she needed to go out and discover the world after her horrible break up. Apparently it was not healthy to stay locked up in your own apartment for hours and hours. After thirty minutes of them begging, she finally gave up and now she was sitting alone on a bench.  _At least they were having fun_.

Although this painful nightmare did not end at the ice rink. No, the nightmare would last a whole weekend; a weekend with friends in a rented cottage.  _In the middle of nowhere_.

Selfish bastards.

There she was, sitting by herself, watching as plenty of couples, including her friends, had smiles on their faces. They all happily enjoyed the glacial breeze as though it was not rattling through their bones, threatening to crush them to death.

She hated couples. She hated their happy faces. It was not true - she liked couples, she loved her friends and she still did believe in love. It was a beautiful thing. Except - it was not a beautiful thing that was meant for her. Life was made up for fleeting moments and they best one could do was enjoy them and realize that they would never last. It was also why she was happy that she had her work. It was something stable and she could count on it. It was all she needed.

Kagome rubbed together her mittens covered hands and tried to bring herself some warmth as the powerful effect of the cold could be felt throughout her body. A chill went down her spine and her annoyance grew to another level which she expressed with a growl. It was during that moment of desperation that something on the ground caught her attention and brought hope and heat into her heart. An empty, nearly crushed, hot chocolate cup. It could be ignored, but her freezing body just could not bring itself to do that. Suddenly an idea and craving formed in her icy, numbed out mind.

Hot Chocolate.

Her eyes gazed the horizon until they landed on the answer to her problems; a cute, little coffee shop. Without another thought, she rose to her feet and dashed for it. Instead of regular walking, and in an attempt to warm herself, she hopped all the way there and ignored the strange glances people threw her way. Not that she really mind or cared since she had done much worse than that in the past. Over the years, she had become an expert at embarrassing herself in public. She had long given up on feeling shame.

The counter came in view and a vibe of excitement filled her as she approached; there was no annoying lineup.  _Of course not_. They were all busy freezing to death on the ice rink. She grabbed the edge of the honey, wooden counter and jumped from one leg to the other, her black boots kicking the snow, while she thought her options through.  _She was never that great at making decisions_. Then again, what sane person could expect her to make a choice when they were so many options?

"Good Evening Miss, What can I do for you?" asked a brown haired young man who, according to his name tag, was called Hojo. He wiped his hands on his burgundy apron and offered her his best smile.

Kagome glued her pink lips together and pondered the issue carefully. She could not possibly only get a normal hot chocolate - at least not anymore. It was all that darn advertising; right now there were too many pictures of rainbows and colors surrounding her and it was influencing her choice… not that it was hard to influence her in the first place. It took her a few seconds, but she eventually made up her mind and settled on something. Oh wait, no not that. Okay, now her mind was made up... although cherry sounded like a very good idea… No, no she should really stick to cacao and nothing else. She did not want to be up all night from a sugar rush.

"I'll have a large hot chocolate, with an extra of whipped cream, some sprinkles and chocolate chips, all on top of it," she finally answered while slightly licking her lips.

She offered the poor boy a huge smile, hoping it would ease the shock, but he remained surprised by her choice. Nonetheless, he nodded before beginning her order.

A few seconds later, Hojo put her sweet treat in front of her before tossing a kind smile her way. "It will be 538 yen."

She nodded and then reached out in the pocket of her black coat only to find out that her wallet was… not in there. Then she remembered and it was as if her whole world came crashing down around her. Like a distracted idiot she left her purse inside Sango's car, thinking that she would not need it. She felt like smacking herself on the forehead. How could she be this stupid? Immediately, her face turned three different shades of red and she lowered her head.

Well, this was awkward. What was she supposed to do now? Run away with the delicious treat or calmly describe the situation and walk away without her precious hot chocolate? Could she even run away when her legs were frozen in place?

"Well, I- hm, I seemed to hmm –" she stuttered not knowing how to explain. Oh yes, this was going fucking humiliating.  _Idiot, idiot, idiot_.

Before she could form a decent explanation, an arm appeared beside her and handed a 1, 000 yen bill to the boy. Kagome's blue eyes widened slightly before she tilted her head to the side to catch a glimpse of her apparent prince in shining armor.

"This should cover it," the man said, avoiding her face while she stared intensively at him.

He was tall, nearly two heads taller than her - not that she was much a reference with her short size. He had beautiful long, brown hair, which looked silky has it shun lighter through the soft moonlight. It was pulled into a high ponytail, swiping across his left shoulder. While she inspected every inch of him, his two piercing blue eyes were focused on Hojo as he slowly took the money from him. He had a strong built, a square jaw and a strong scent of shaving cream surrounded him.  _Not that she was creepily smelling him_  but he  _was_  the only scent she could make out through her frozen sense of smell.

He watched her from the corner of his eyes, a tiny ghost of a smirk on his face and amusement shaking through his body. The girl's pink lips were slightly parted as she breathed heavily perhaps because of the cold and her blue eyes were locked on his person with an intense fascination. He let his eyes swipe her from up to down, an eyebrow arched. Her current attire was interesting to say the least; she looked like someone who was preparing for a blizzard or even a foreigner not used to winter but certainly not like someone who was ice skating. All he knew was that she looked in  _desperate need_  of that hot chocolate - if the sugary treat could even qualify as such. He was fairly certain that it was just diabetes in a cup.

Once he received his change back, he turned his head in her direction and waited to see if she would speak, or if she was simply an ice statue. It took Kagome a few seconds to realize that his piercing eyes were on her but when she did she blushed, the action bringing color to her pale, cold skin. Playing with the rim of her cup, she chastised herself and she offered him a smile.  _She was not a child_.

"Thank you," she finally managed to say. "You didn't have to." At first, his blue eyes had mesmerized her, but now that she could get a better look at his face she noticed the small wrinkles pooling at the corner of his eyes.  _He was older than her_.

"I'm always here to help a damsel in distress," was his response before he winked. His glance lingered on her for a beat and then, he began to walk away.

Kagome blinked, completely abashed; did he walk away from her?  _What the heck_. Clearly he was free to do as he wished and perhaps he only paid for her hot chocolate out of pity, but Kagome could not bring her body to listen to her. She was not the kind to receive a favor and not return it. Her mother had raised her better than that. And on top of that, he winked at her. Who winked at people and walked away?  _And what did that wink even mean_? Was it like a gentleman's way of saying good day? She was not one to get involved in any kind of interactions, especially these days but she refused to own him anything. She did not want to owe a man something. Kagome decided she had to repay him for his gesture and began to walk after him.

Gosh, she did not even know his name.

"Wait," she called out since she had no better option.

He did indeed stop in his tracks, but he did not turn around to face her. She cringed a bit, since she could imagine how annoyed he might be that a crazy hot chocolate girl was chasing after him. She ignored the blush that warmed up her cheeks and she kept walking in his direction until she caught up to him. Slightly breathless, and carefully holding her cup as to not spill it, she frowned at him. She had to be a little intimidating if she did not want him to walk away from her again.

"You can't leave," she stated as though it was a fact of the universe.

He arched an eyebrow. "And why is that?" he inquired slightly amused. It was becoming harder to hold back a smirk at her actions.

She lifted her cup. "You bought me hot chocolate."

And now she made even less sense.

"I have to re-pay you," she added when he remained silent and confused.

Although, she had no idea how she was going to do that. Maybe she could walk back to the car and get her purse? Surely, she could not let him leave like that with nothing in return. "Let me get my wallet."

As she blew her bangs away from her face to clear her line of sight, he decided he found her fascinating. "No," he said before backing away until the back of his knees hit the bench behind him. Then, he sat down, his eyes focused on the action happening in front of him, rather than her. "It's fine really. I don't want anything back." He was a gentleman and he was not about to let her run into the dark cold simply to repay him a cheap hot chocolate. He was raised on better values than that.

This man was a walking mystery; one second he felt like her presence did not matter and the next he was winking. Would leaving him alone be the actually way to pay him back? As she scrambled her brain for an answer, she began to notice the little details. He was  _sitting_  on the bench; he was not drinking anything and he certainly did not have any skates laying around. Yes, he was  _watching_  other people skate. Did that mean he was like her and that he could not skate? Maybe he was also dragged against his will and he was simply unhappy - just as she was. She could not possibly the only person who hated this.

That was when an idea hatched in her mind. "You're not skating?" she asked.

He shook his head.

"You're just waiting?" she added, hoping she was not wrong and was not the only one who despised ice-skating.

"You could say that," he said with a smile.

He was mostly watching his daughter while she was on a date. She was ice-skating with their neighbour's son - who was older than his daughter. They were friends who were skating together. Friends. Buddies. At least, it was his daughter's claim. But he still qualified it as a date. If he had to be there acting as a chaperone, it was a date. Although, his daughter did insist that they were fine without his presence but he knew better. No boy was going to alone with his daughter. Nevertheless, it could be categorized as him waiting since he could not leave until she had her fun.  _Even if he wanted to tie that boy to a chair and never let him close to his daughter_.

A smile beamed on her face as her plan came to fruition. "I'll keep you company." He arched an eyebrow. "It's my way of repaying you; I'll wait here with you."

Without even giving him a chance to reply, she sat down on the bench. She misjudged the distance and plopped down quite close to him, their legs brushing because of the nearness. He could barely hold in a chuckle at her actions. This was the first time he met such a woman. Not only was she clearly insane cheerful and filled with energy, but she was determined and apparently did as she pleased. He had to admit, he liked that in a woman. It had been a while since someone was able to surprise him like that. Then again, it might have been the reason why he offered to pay for her hot chocolate in the first place.  _What kind of adult ordered such a sweet treat?_

He had two options; he could talk or he could watch her squirm under the silence, a situation that obviously bothered her. It was best to simply wait and watch; he had feeling she would give in soon and begin speaking. He watched her from the corner of his eyes, amusement dancing in his blue orbs. She was mesmerizing.

As her feet twitched she could not help but glance at the ice rink. Kagome tried to follow his earlier gaze and figure out who he was with - or who he was watching. Nearly everyone came in pair, leaving no room for a girlfriend or wife to be skating alone. At her own thoughts, she found herself blushing. She was only repaying his kindness! Why was she wondering if he was taken or not? No, she only wondered because she did not want his hypothetical wife or girlfriend to get the wrong idea about what she was doing.

"So- hm, I don't know your name," she said before tilting her head to the side gently.

"Kouga."

She smiled. "I'm Kagome, nice to meet you."

She replied before he even had a chance to ask which tore a chortle from his throat.

"I am also not skating - because I have two left feet." And she feared she might die if she dropped on the cold ice.

A tiny sigh escaped her lips before she brought to cup to her lips. Kagome took a long sip before putting it down, her top lip covered in whipped cream. Without thinking about it twice, she ran her tongue over her lip, smiling the whole time. Nothing could beat sugar; just one sip was enough to make her forget about the cold and unbearable weather that surrounded her. She did not need coffee to live; she simply needed sugar. It was a habit she had developed prior to the break up, but it might have gotten slightly out of control since then. Unfortunately for her, the rush of sugar did nothing to help with the uncomfortable silence that settled between them.

Kagome began making circles with her left foot, disturbing the perfect snow at her feet, and waited for some sort of conversation to begin. Was she not supposed to keep him company? If so, then why was he being so quiet? Perhaps her initial assumption had been right; she was indeed bothering him. Unless, he was a quiet person?  _It didn't feel like it_. Even the silence between them was not  _bad_ per say. It annoyed her, but she did not sense a bad vide coming from him. She could be quite the chatterbox, but for some reason, she wanted  _him_  to talk to her - which was probably the silliest idea. Had the cold frozen her brain?

She cringed; she had to talk. "I'm here with my friends. They're a couple," she said nodding before pointing at them. They were swirling around the ice, Sango's purple scarf drifting into the small breeze. "They hate me because I haven't been spending enough time with them. See I dislike skating. Actually, dislike is not the right word. I despise skating. This is their idea of getting back at me. Guess it's working."  _It was best to leave out the break up part of it._

A small silence came between them once she stopped talking and she took a deep breath.

It took him a few minutes to process all the words she had just said. Apparently it was a bad idea to tease her and torture her with silence. There was a risk she might explode and so he decided to spare her slightly. Also, he was afraid that if he let go on another word rampage she might forget to breathe again and die. "I'm here with my daughter," he casually answered while knowing very well that it would bring forth a million questions. Now, if that wasn't a conversation starter he did not know what was. He pinched his lips together, holding back the smirk that was coming.

Her lips parted and an  _oh_  slipped her. His daughter? It seemed her deduction skills were not on point and she was wrong about the whole  _not married_  thing. Or the whole alone thing. Although, she was not doing anything wrong. This was a hot chocolate repayment and it had nothing to do with flirting. She was simply chatting - and not  _flirting_  - with a man who happened to be married and have a daughter. People had conversations every day. Plus, he seemed like a good father who enjoyed spending time with his daughter. It was sweet actually. Male figures had not been quite presence in her life, and she did enjoy a good daughter-father bonding. His daughter was lucky.

Though once again, nobody was skating alone… so who was his daughter skating with?

"She's on a date," he explained as he finally decided to end her torture. Her face went through quite a few emotions and he knew it was best to explain.

Kagome could not help the smile that reached her lips. He was a protective father who was watching along as his daughter went on a date; it was adorable. She began searching the ice rink for someone who looked young enough to be his daughter. He looked to be what? 30? His kid should be quite young. Then again, wasn't ten years old a little young to be going on a date?

"She's the one with the yellow hat," he said as he noticed what she was trying to do.

It took Kagome a few seconds, but she finally spotted her. Long wavy red hair and a yellow hat. She looked older than 10 years old, that was for sure. "They look adorable," she said, knowing full well that Kouga probably would not agree with her.

A grunt was all he gave her for as an answer. The boy would remain adorable as long as he kept his hands away from his daughter. As a matter of fact, he would look better if he kept a whole continent between him and his daughter.

"You worry about her, it's normal. How does her mother feel about this date?" Perhaps it was a very not subtle way to inquire about his relationship status. Though she was not doing it out of interest; it was pure curiosity.

"She died during childbirth."

Ah crap.

For the first time since the beginning of the conversation, the smile on his face faded. In the past, he did not say anything about his wife. When people asked, he would derivate from the question or barely give an answer. As the years passed he learned to deal with it properly. He loved his wife and she did not need to be a secret he kept to himself. She used to be in his life and now she no longer was. There was nothing to hide or no reason to feel shame. It had been a long process, but he had moved on a long time ago now. He no longer carried that shadow or that weight with him and it was natural to mention what happened to her.

Kagome's heart squeezed as guilt took hold of her. For once, she should have kept her mouth shut. He looked full of life, his laughter rich and deep that she could not believe he went through such a tragedy. And he looked so young… "I'm so-"

"Sorry?" he finished.

She chuckled. "I guess you've heard that one before."

"Thank you," he said while still looking ahead at the ice rink.

"It must be hard - being a single dad," she said truthfully. "My dad died when I was very young and my mom raised me and my brother alone. She always made it look easy with a smile on her face, but I knew it was hard for her."

And there it was; she had done it again. She had babbled without thinking and said details about her life he probably cared nothing about. She pinched her lips together, hoping it would prevent her from talking; she needed to stop before she made it any worse. It was hard for her to remain in complete silent, but Kouga seemed to enjoy the quietness. This was her way of re-paying him and if silence was what he wanted, silence he would have. Especially since she had accidentally brought up a difficult topic of conversation.  _So much for repaying his kindness_.

"Sometimes it is. Mostly when she asks about her." Despite how he had learned to accept the situation, he had never been ready to explain it to his daughter. She had many questions for him and he did not always have all of the answers. He wished she could have met her mother.

"How old is she?"

"14."

"Oh, so it's those dates," she said with a giggle, suddenly changing the mood.

He groaned, smacking his hand over his face.  _Why, why, why_. "I'm not sure I want to know what  _those_  dates are." He did not even want it to  _be_  a date.

"They are very harmless, I promise," she added before sipping her hot chocolate. A quick laugh past her lips and she stole a glance at him.

Kouga joined her in laughter and shook his head softly. He leaned back against the bench, his bare hand gripping at the wood. He found it difficult to look away from her since the joy radiating from her was awfully contagious. Single dads attracted a lot of attention. He avoided parents meetings and anything else that attracted crazy women. It was not as though he was closed to the idea of a relationship, but no one ever struck his fancy. So, he spent most of his time turning down women and hanging out with his daughter. This was a rare happening.

"Kagome?"

At the sound of her name, Kagome turned her head around only to see Miroku and Sango standing a bit behind her and looking quite confused. Apparently they were done. She sighed a bit before refocusing her attention upon Kouga.

"I guess that's my cue," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. For a moment, she lingered. There was nothing else to say but goodbye and yet she hesitated before speaking. "It was nice meeting you Kouga."

He beamed a smile, his gesture enough to bring a similar reaction to her face. "It was nice meeting you too, Kagome."

She grinned before turning around with her head tilted to the side. As she walked away, she raised one hand in the air, shaking her hot chocolate. "I'll repay you one day," she promised. And then she did exactly as he did when he bought her the hot chocolate; she walked away without looking back. It was a silly promise, one she could not keep, but it did make him smile.

Kouga watched her walk away, amused while he shook his head softly. She was  _interesting_  to say the least. He would never see her again and they both knew that. Yet, somehow, he had a feeling she meant it and he did not mind at all. It did offer him a small distraction from what was happening and he welcomed it. Before paying for her hot chocolate he had been ready to split the wooden bench in half. Her presence had allowed him to push aside all of his fatherly concerns. And she had called it a harmless date. It had been a good chat. Plus, he did always have a soft spot for the weird ones. And Kagome, well she seemed to be something new entirely.

A small distance from him and the ice rink, Sango was eyeing Kagome, her lips burning with questions she had yet to ask. Kagome had noticed her friend's growing impatience but she pretended that she had not. After all, Sango would ask a million questions and she did not have the answers.

"So."

And so it began.

"So what?"

" _Who_ was that?"

"Some guy."

"Some guy?"

" _Kouga._ Are ya happy now?"

"Oh I haven't even begun."

Miroku laughed as he remained a few steps behind the girls. He had dated Sango long enough to know what that look in her eyes meant.  _It was about to be girl talk_  and he was not quite sure he wanted to be part of it. Though it was rather nice to see Kagome mingle with  _men_. Ever since her last relationship, she had avoided the whole dating scene. He knew it had nothing to do with Inuyasha but still. Burying herself in her work was not going to help. She needed to get back out there and try again; one failed relationship did not mean she needed a break. Plus, they had been quite worried about her after the initial shock. She had locked herself away, refusing to speak to anyone. It had taken her weeks - nearly months before she joined the real world again.

"What else?"

"There's nothing else."

"What does he do for a living?"

"I don't know."

"Is he single?"

"Yes."

"What was he doing here then?"

"His daughter is on a date."

Sango winced. "Daughter?"

"He has a fourteen years old daughter."

"Alright, maybe he's not such a good prospect then." She could have sworn he was fairly young. Although the word daughter threw the reality out of the window. "How old  _is_  he?"

She did want Kagome out there in the world, but she was not quite convinced that seeing an older man would do it for her. Then again, perhaps she needed someone that was the complete opposite of Inuyasha. He was nothing but a child, immature about his feelings. A man usually knew what he wanted and he was serious when it came to life choices - especially if he had a daughter to think about.  _But_. It was messy. No, they needed to find Kagome a nice single guy around her age. There would be others.

"I didn't ask." Kagome sighed. "Sango, he wasn't hitting on me, and I wasn't hitting on him. We were just chatting while we waited."

Except chatting with strangers was not something Kagome did. Yes, she was social and friendly but Sango could not recall really seeing her sitting down with a man she did not know and chatting him up. It was a big step for her to come out of her shell and to dare something - even if it did not lead to anything. However, she could tell that it was best not to push the issue further. She resigned herself to silence.

"So how was ice skating?"

"Fun, except Miroku cannot skate to save his life."

" _Hey_."

"You made us fall  _twice_."

"That's because I tried to gro-"

" _Miroku!_ "

He smirked. "I do believe Kagome is familiar with my habits by now."

"And that is more than what I need to know," Kagome said with a blush on her cheeks.

Miroku was slightly perverted but he was a good man who cared for Sango - that was all that mattered. Although they were sometimes  _loud_  so she did cringe about the idea of spending two nights in a row with them. Hopefully she would be able to catch some sleep.

As they walked forward she could not help but finally glance behind. From this distance she could no longer see him but she smiled nonetheless.

Maybe winter was not all that bad.

-C-


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Not dead. For once, it was for good news. I had a promotion, so I had to change work location and move and it's been hectic. Plus, I started my masters part-time at night. SO, I'm all over the place, aha.
> 
> But I'm alive.

_Late, late, late!_

She was so fucking late.

Kagome was out of breath, panting, while her high heels clicked against the ground. Nobody ever warned her it would be this difficult to run with high heels and a long fancy dress.  _For the love of god, she was going to be sweaty_. She could not be sweaty for this. She wanted to pray nobody would notice but everyone always glanced at the photographer at least  _once_ during the evening. She was completely screwed. She stole a quick peak beneath her armpits, grateful that there was no sweat stains.  _At least something was salvageable_. Her only salvation was the fact that she had left her winter jacket in the car, hoping that the cold would keep her temperature down.

Finally, the huge brown wooden doors came in view and she let out a sigh of relief. Fingers wrapped around the shiny silver handles and she swung them open. Inside, she found a magnitude of people, some of them dancing, others chatting away. It was one of the biggest, most important charitable event of the year. All funds went towards helping sick children. A big financial institution was throwing it and each year there were more people. It was actually an honor to be chosen as the official photographer of the event. It was one of her biggest contract this quarter and her work needed to be flawless. She really needed this.

She smoothened her long black locks, hoping her bun would hold for the rest of the evening. She grabbed her red dress, lifting it higher as she went up the stairs. Once she made it to the top, she opened her bag and retrieved her camera. She turned on to adjust the settings while she kept moving forward, hoping nobody noticed her lateness. She popped her lips in approval as everything was set right and then, she brought the camera to her eye.  _Oh by the buffet! Three men and two little kids_. That would make a good photo. She zoomed in, hoping to get a better look at their faces when…  _oh my god_.

Kagome dropped her camera to her lap, thankful for the black strap that hung around her neck.  _Hot chocolate guy!_  She narrowed her eyes, stretching her neck forward. Yes, it was him. Granted this time, he was wearing a fancy black suit and his ponytail was all neat but - oh my god it was him. What was he doing here? A panic filled her chest at first as her dishevelled appearance came to her mind. Kagome promised she would repay him but - she never thought - this  _what_. Alright coherent thoughts. She had to focus on that and everything would be okay.

 _He had not seen her yet_.

That was a good thing.

As a matter of fact, it was a great reason to simply turn around and walk away.

No, why was she shy all the sudden? Didn't she run after him back at the ice rink?

But this was different. This was weird.  _She was not supposed to see him here_. She had looked a bit, well weird. And this was an important event where she had to look professional.

If he noticed her, he noticed her.

Until then -  _she would keep on taking pictures._

Kagome gathered herself, took a deep breath, and resumed her work.  _This would be fine_.

Time ticked away, the event flourishing. In the corner of the room, Kouga was pressed up against the wall, his neck tensed while the vein on the column of his throat began to bulge.  _He wanted to go home_. These events were good and they did help kids but the people? They were all awful. Most of them did this with the simple purpose of boosting their image. They did not care about the kids or what the money was actually going to do. If he had to spend one more second with those phonies, he was going to lose his mind. As the years went by, he did not have to attend as many events as before, but some were part of the package deal.

Aggravated, he ran his fingers through his bangs, messing them up.

Maybe he could slowly walk away and nobody would notice.

He began walking backwards, a smile on his face.  _Everything was fine, he did not look suspicious at a-_

"Hey!"

He cringed as he felt his back come into contact with someone.  _So close_. He rapidly turned around, holding his hands out in front of him as a peace offering. " _I'm_  so sorry miss." And then he looked at her; long locks of hair, beautiful, tight dress that hugged every curves… wait a minute. "Hot chocolate girl!" Kouga made no effort to stop the grin that reached his lips.

Who knew all that was hiding under that coat.

"K-kouga." She had managed to avoid him all night but then -  _she had been taking a picture._  He bumped into her!

"So you remember me," he said with a wink.

She did her best to control the blush that formed on her face but she knew he noticed. "I - well I do have to repay you."

He chuckled and nodded. "I didn't know that meant stalking me."

Suddenly her mouth shifted, and she put her hands on her hips, leaning forward. "I wasn't stalking you. I'm working."

For the first time since their random encounter, he let his eyes travel to the camera that hung from her neck. "You're a photographer?"

She nodded, a smile beaming on her face. "I am."

"Are you done?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you done working?"

"Hm, not exactly." She paused. "Why?"

"Well - you do owe me."

She would be lying if she said she was not intrigued. What could she possibly do for him? Did he want her to take a picture?

"This event is killing me." He remembered her; she was funny and she barely stopped talking. That was a combination he could live with because unlike all of those people, she was not fake. She certainly was not afraid to be who she was and that was admirable.

"You want  _me_  to keep  _you_  company _?"_

 _"_ We'd call it even this time."

"Deal."

-C-

"I don't think my boss would be happy if I came back with photos like these."

"Hey, it would be more accurate."

She laughed out loud, a shake of her hair messing up her neatly placed bangs. Kouga had spent most of the evening hiding behind her while she took photos of the event. Honestly, at this point, she had enough photos but she stayed regardless. He was not a fan of these events. She was not part of that world, all she saw was what was available through her lens. She had noticed that some of them were cold and clearly thought they were better than her but she never paid attention to it. People like that existed everywhere.

"Can I ask something?"

"Sure," he answered before bringing the rim of his champagne glass to his lips.

"If you hate it so much, why are you here?"

"I own a company."

 _Oh_.

"There's things I have to attend if I wanna keep everything running smoothly."

"Wow."

After his wife passed away, he buried himself into his work. When he was not working, he was taking care of his daughter. It made for a lonelier world but it did pay off in the end. He had everything he wanted, everything he needed. Plus, his daughter would never need for anything. He could provide her with a comfortable life - a life she deserved. Perhaps he was trying to compensate for the fact that she did not get to meet her mother, but -  _but he would do it anyways._ His priority was making sure she did not notice what she was missing in life. He knew he could never offer her anything that would replace having a mother, but - he would distract her from it.

He was a single dad running his own successful company. Was there anything he could not do? Here she taking photos to finance her dream of being an author, and he had it all figured out. Despite everything that happened to him, he managed to push through - she admired that.

"It must be difficult."

"It's okay." He was reminded that he shared with her what happened to his wife. She was not giving him the pity eyes, but he could still feel it. He was not staying alone because he was still hung up on Ayame. He was still single because he did not have time for a relationship. He did not want his daughter to feel like she came in a second and his company took up a lot of his time. He decided to put his energy and focus somewhere else. Plus, he found people were hard to trust nowadays, and he preferred to be alone. Yes, that included having a few lonely nights, but it was something he could easily deal with by now.

A relationship would not work for him. And he was fairly he had forgotten how to date after all these years.

"Maybe one day you'll be important enough to  _not_  hide behind the photographer," she teased.

He smiled before brushing up a hand against her shoulder, pointing to a group of people standing in front of her. The moment she felt his warm flesh on hers, she felt a jolt. "You wanna try these people? I'll take the pictures."

"You'll take the pictures?" she inquired with a quirked eyebrow. Her skin felt moist beneath his and she swallowed hard.

"I'll have you know, I'm great at photo taking."

"Oh, are you also a photographer in your free time?" she teased.

"No, but I got pretty good over the years, documenting my daughter's life."

She knew he did not mean it in a way that would gather pity from her, but it was the end result regardless. She felt bad for him, sad that he had to learn how to cope with the loss of his wife and how to raise a child alone. She had seen her own mother play that role and she knew all of the sacrifices it entailed. It hit close to home for her and - she knew he had to master more skills than one parent should have to… but… it was how it went. She tried to offer him a smile, try to shield away the pity that shone in her eyes.

"Why not," she finally offered.

It was too late, the damage had been done. Although, he might have brought it upon himself. It had been many years for him and he had gotten used to his situation by now. Sometimes, it slipped him. Sometimes, he forgot how people might react. It was not as though he let in a lot of new people. Usually the awkward stages were over for him and he usually kept to himself.

But he talked to her.

He watched as she removed the camera strap from around her neck and handed him her prize. She stepped off and watched as he concentred on the scenery in front of them. She had not pegged him for a photographer, but then again, he seemed like someone who would rather behind this  _fake_  scene than in front of it. Not that she could blame him. It did make him hard to figure out. A few sounds of the clickers were heard and she observed his body language, his motions. Once he appeared to be satisfied, he pulled away from the camera and flashed her a grin.

Kouga ended her back the camera. "Thanks."

Before she was able to form a reply, her cellphone  _dinged._  "Oh." She fished it out of her purse, and turned it on. Creases formed on her face as she read the words on the text message.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah - I just, one of my friends need me to get her out of jam. She needs some photos ASAP."

"Duty calls."

"Duty calls," she repeated. "But thank you."

" _Thank you_." She was the one who rescued his evening and helped him free himself from the claws of high society.

She shoved her hand once more into her purse and pulled out a white card. She handed it to him as she took back her camera. "Let me know if you wanna see how your photos turn out."

He stared down at the cardboard paper reading out her name; Kagome Higurashi. He leaned forward, almost as though he was going to kiss her cheek but he did not. "We'll do Miss Higurashi."

Kagome flashed him a smile before hopping away from sight. Meanwhile, Kouga flipped the card between his fingers, watching her leave. And now he would have to face the rest of the evening without her present to rescue him.

"Kouga?"

He turned his head, giving his attention to another older man who's name he could not remember.

"Let me introduce you to someone very important."

_And so it began…_

-C-

" _Kouga!_ "

The forceful sound of Ginta's voice dragged him back to reality and he finally raised his head to meet his glance. "What?"

"You haven't been listening to a word I said have ya?" he asked with a smirk.

He had seen his friend distracted in the past but this was something new entirely. Whatever it was, it had his whole attention and more. Ginta allowed his eyes to follow Kouga's gaze until they landed on a small white card on his marble desk. "Who's Kagome Higurashi?"

The faintest blush manifested itself under his tan skin. "No one."

"Awfully distracting for a no one."

Kouga flashed him a glare. "She's a photographer."

"Any events coming up soon?"

"Yeah."

But that was not it, Ginta could tell. However, he did know better than to press right away. Kouga was shutting away from him, which was new. He would have to find out a bit more about this photographer. Kouga was not very present on the dating scene and he was not one to hook up with a string of women. It might be harmless, it might be nothing - but he wanted to know.

"How was it yesterday?"

"How do you think?"

A string of annoying people bothering him, demanding more from him than he could offer. He was not important enough to not attend him - which meant his presence was required. His business was doing well, but it did not mean he could start shunning people. He had to pull through it for a couple of more years and then he could put it all behind him.

"That bad huh?"

Well, this time it was not  _so bad_ , but he could not share that. If he even mentioned a woman, Ginta would not let it go. Even if it was nothing. His friends had been worried about him after his wife's loss. And then, they worried because he never got back on the dating scene. It took them a long time to understand that he did not have the need for someone new in his life; he had his daughter and it was plenty. It took him even longer to make them see that he was going to stand up every date they scheduled for him.

"Yeah."

"Alright, well, let me know if you need anything."

"Thanks."

Kouga heard his friend walk away, and the sound of the door as it closed behind him. However, his eyes remained on the card. He should not be calling her. It was not as though he cared about the photos he took. He knew she would not be using them, and nothing would come from it. And yet she had given him her card. But that also did not mean anything. He leaned into his chair, the metal squeaking as it swayed back and forth. He reached out for his cellphone, flipping it over so that he could see the screen. Maybe a text? He could text? She was in age range that enjoyed the technologic world and minimal contact right?  _That made him wince_. He was not that much older than her was he?

Slowly, he began entering her number, a little shake in his fingers. What could he write to her?

 _For fuck's sake_. He was not a goddamn teenager. Plus, it was not as though he was asking her out on a date or anything like that. It was a casual conversation.

Screw it _. Hope the photos turned out alright._ That was simple enough right? Wait. Should he be identifying himself? It was not as though he made such an impact in her life that she would recognize him from one silly sentence.  _Thanks for saving my butt_. That was enough right?  _Fuck_. He hit send anyway.

Kouga was about to flip his phone again to avoid the torture of looking at it when a  _ding_  echoed through the room. He knitted his eyebrows, intrigue flowing through him; she could not have possibly responded that fast.

_Not bad for an amateur :)._

A laughter bubbled from his chest as he softly shook his head. Amateur huh?

 _Maybe you could show me my amateur work._  Send.

Another ding.

_Sure. Let me know when a busy entrepreneur like yourself is free._

The company was his - he made the hours as he pleased. Of course, he had to deal with many issues and big projects but - but he could be free whenever he wanted.

 _I'd be free at lunch_.

Was he? He did not even check his schedule.

_You can come by my studio if you like. It's right downtown. Say 1pm?_

_Np. What's the address?_

For a second he felt a lump in his throat. This was not a date, it was not anything. And yet, as she sent him the address, he took it down on a post-it. It should not matter. It should not work him up like this. It was a  _young_  woman. He had seen his share of women over the years and he was never interested. Heck, most of them he did not even text back. His friends were the same as before and most of them were men. It did not mind the company of women but - it never happened really.

He put his phone down and then covered his face with his hands; what the fuck was he doing?

-C-

" _Coming!_ "

The knock on her door had been hard to miss - especially since the visits to her studio were scarce. She hopped to the front door, her foot nearly getting caught in one of the many cables that decorated her floor. By the time she reached the door, she felt breathless. She leaned forward, only keeping one foot on the ground and grabbed the handle before swinging the door open.

"Hi."

"Hey," he replied with a grin.

Her hair was tousled, barely holding on into the shape of the messy bun she had attempted to do. There was a red bandana holding back her bangs, clearing up her face and allowing her blue eyes to shine brighter than usual. She had on nothing more than a pair of jean shorts and a simple yellow camisole which made her look like a bum compared to him. He was dressed in a fancy grey pants with a light blue shirt and a tie that matched. It brought out the color of his eyes and for a second she was mesmerized. Not matter what, he looked polished and  _older_.

Meanwhile, she appeared to look like a child.

It was quite a different look she had one compared to the last time he had seen her but then again, considering all their previous encounters he had no expectations when it came to Kagome. She always seemed to find a way to be surprising and unexpected.

"Come in," she offered as she moved herself away from the door. "Excuse the mess. It happens a lot when I have a few contracts at once." Kagome was old school; she loved the art of photography. On top of taking the photos, she made sure to develop them herself. It did mean she needed a quiet place away from her apartment and a lot of equipment but she made due. It was a lot of traveling around but it was half of the fun.

He casted a quick glance around, noticing the many lens, flashes and equipment that covered her floor. He expected as much. "Do you take photos here?"

"Hm, sometimes," she said as she tucked behind her ear a loose strand of hair. "But, mostly I just develop the photos."

"Yourself?"

She nodded.

"That's impressive."

"Not as impressive as having my own company."

He chuckled. "Still." He only did it because he had a lot of time on his hands and grieving situation to work through - it was not that impressive. Meanwhile, it appeared she was flowing through life. He was not quite sure this was the only job she had, but it felt impolite to inquire about the personal details of her life. After all, they were not friends.

"Now where did I put them," she asked herself as she tapped the side of her cheek. "Oh." She bent forward, offering him more of a view than she intended and retrieved an envelope that was stuck beneath a few books. She turned around and handed it to him with a beaming smile. "All your hard work."

He chuckled as he took it from her. His fingers brushed up against the back of her head allowing him to feel the smooth skin beneath his fingertips - which he barely noticed… He cleared his throat and then flipped it around and slowly pull the shoots from inside the envelope. Why was he doing this? He knew he did not care that much about some foolish photos. He did not even like the people or the event! Still, he looked at them while she watched him, slowly rolling on the ball of her feet, leaning forward and then backwards.

"Not bad for a beginner."

"I'll take it as a compliment."

She laughed. "Hungry?" He raised an eyebrow. "I'm kinda stealing your lunch away. I have some food if you want."

He got what he came for; the photos. This was only about picking up his handywork and then he was leaving - nothing else. And yet there he was, envelope in his hands and hesitation on his lips. Women had forcefully hit on him, they had dragged him to dark rooms, palmed at his skin and he had turned them down. Of course, he had given in a few times but it was not because he had lost control - it was out of need. He might not want another relationship but it did not mean he did need a bit of  _loving_  once in a while. Although even that had taken a back burner in recent years.

How was it that every time she was around he felt like a bug ready to get zapped?

"Sure."

Another step in the wrong direction.

Kagome headed in direction of her fridge and swung it open. She did not use to have so much here but after wasting countless hours, she realized that if she did not have the bare minimum she was going to starve to death. "I have left over chinese and beer," she announced with a grin. Obviously it was not up to par with his lifestyle but - well they were very different people.

"Sounds great," he said as he took a step forward. Most of his lunches were either spent locked in his office or with stuck up entrepreneurs with fancy steaks and whiskey. Left over food and beer actually sounded nice for once.

Kagome pulled out two containers and two beers out of the fridge before closing the door shut with her foot. She dropped everything on the counter and then motioned for him to join her. He sat on a stool across from her while she retrieved some plates to heat up the food. "Is your office far from here?" It was not something she had considered when proposing this little meet up.

She did not even know why she proposed this. Or why she invited him to have lunch with her.

"Not really."

After getting her heart broken, Kagome had made a point to stay away from men. She found that trusting them did not come easily after the betrayal she had experienced. She had gone on a few dates with perfectly nice gentlemen but… she had kept her reservations and had never called them again. And now here she was. Maybe he was easy to approach because he was… a dad? Because he was older? Because he clearly did not have any interest in her? She kept her heart guarded, protecting it from future heartbreak. She did not want someone new in her life. But this was different. It was! Because she enjoyed his company.

She retrieved the plates from the microwave and put his down in front of him. She opened both of the beers and handed one to him. "Thanks."

Kagome took a swing of her beer and Kouga followed her. "How did your daughter's date go?"

He chuckled. "The boy lives."

"That's good."

"But I think she likes him."

"Is that so bad?"

" _Yes_."

She laughed, before offering him a bemused smile. "You'll have to go through it at some point."

"I'd rather later." He wanted her to stay his little girl forever if possible. He did not want to think about her growing up, having her own life and being on her own. He had protected her from the world all by himself and though he might have overdone it sometimes, it had always been done out of love.

"It's like a bandaid, you have to rip it."

"We'll see."

"I'm sure you raised her to be a smart girl. You shouldn't be worried."

"I hope I did." He did the best he could with what he had and - well  _he was not her mother_. He had his own limitations, no matter what.

"I wish I had your job," she said, changing the topic. She could see a change in his glance and she assumed it had something to do with his daughter growing up motherless. She did not invite him over to have him depress about events that were out of his control. "Leaving and going as he pleased."

He smirked. "Being your own boss needs to have its perks."

"Hey  _I'm my own boss,_ but I can't afford too much time off."

"You do this full time?"

"I try. I'm hoping this get me into journalism."

"You take photos in the hopes of writing?"

She chuckled. "I know, it doesn't make much sense. I've always wanted to write but I never found my muse. The camera helps me show what I want to tell. I'm hoping the writer in me unblocks at some point." She had tried but nothing she had ever written had been enough. Sango had also tried to provide some assistance but she had never liked the end result.

"I'm sure it will." What a strange girl.

He tilted his head forward, resuming his eating and Kagome could not help but stare at him. Most people she was with all day in her every day life were around her age range. Except for business, she was never around people who were much older than her. Somehow, she was at ease with him. They had a few  _personal_  conversation and she ever thought of creating a distance between them. She had even spent an entire work evening with him without any issue. What was it about him that made her comfortable? She had the same friends since forever - which had nothing to do with her being antisocial, she could simply be a little shy about herself.

"Thanks."

They kept on eating, maintaining the conversation light until the beer bottles were empty and they were scrapping the bottom of their plates. Once everything was put away, Kouga retrieved his envelope - the actual reason he came over - and stood up. "I won't keep you much longer."

"No worries, developing photos is a long process in the dark. A little light is good."

"I always found that fascinating."

"I'll show you someday if you want." She had said it so naturally but once the words had left her mouth she felt like an idiot. Did she just invite him to continue this weird… friendship? They were having. It was not even a friendship, it could not be one.

"I'd like that." Did he want to know, or was he making up an excuse to see her again? Why did he need one? Why did he want to? She was younger than him, much younger. They should not have anything in common, they should not have anything to talk about. There was something about her. Her smile, her childish antics, her need for sugar or her vast knowledge of different skills? He did not know.

She took a step forward, closing some of the distance between them. Suddenly she found a nervousness settling in, like her something was clutching at her stomach. She dared to look up, noticing just how much taller than her he was as he towered over her small frame. She could hear her own heart beating inside of her head, her throat clamming up and her fingers becoming fidgety.

"Let- let me know when you're free," she managed to say though her mouth began to feel like cotton.

"I have your number," he added with a smirk. Was he  _flirting_  with her?

"Just ring me up," she said, finally tearing her body away from his. She managed to move to the left, ready to open the door for him.

Unfortunately for her, life had other plans. Before she was able to reach the handle, one of her feet caught itself in one of the cables, launching her forward. Kouga was quick enough to notice the fall, but not quite fast enough to prevent it all together. Strong arms wrapped around her waist and he tried to steady the both of them. Instead, they both ended up leaning towards the door, his back hitting the wooden door with a loud slam. He winced as he took the hit for the both of them, her tiny body hitting his chest as it happened.

Once it was clear they were out of danger, he opened his eyes and stared down at her. All he could see was the top of her head, and feel the closeness of her body as she held on to him, her arms clutching at his shirt, afraid to let go. He felt her chest rise up and down, and then, her head moved. She tilted it backwards and stared into his eyes, panic filling her blue orbs. As she arched her back, he could see the rise of her breasts as they were squished against his chest. He should be staring into her eyes but he found his glance straying.

Kagome wanted to look away from his face, but could not. Her body was still shaking, and all she could feel was his large palm holding her small back. It rested right above her rear, spreading warmth to her flesh.

"T-Thank you."

"Are you okay?"

"Yea."

Except she was not removing herself from him, and he was making no attempt at letting her go. She was warm, soft and  _small_. He felt his blood pumping rushing to  _places_ , and he found himself rolling his lips together. He had to release her. He swallowed the lump in his throat and managed to put some distance between their bodies.

"I'll - I'll get going."

"Yeah, of course. Thank you."

She pulled away like she had gotten burned and did her best to put a smile on her face. She watched him go, her heart hammering and deafening her.

 _What was that_?

-C-


End file.
